To win Alton Brown’s Cutthroat Kitchen on the Food Network last year, chef Dakota Soifer of Boulder’s Cafe Aion had to run a maze of red velvet ropes and make a red velvet cake using beets for color. It was, he says, “really fun and really cool, but I wouldn’t…
On Mother’s Day, we gave a collective shout-out to the moms in our lives. But mothers aren’t the only ones who help us reach our potential. Last week I wrote about the impact that well-known chef Max MacKissock had on Joshua Bitz, who worked with MacKissock for seven years and…
Jerry and Laura Lasco just opened a location of Max’s Wine Dive, their Texas-based chain, at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Sherman Street, but they’re into more than fried chicken and champagne. Diving into healthier eating as a way to combat high blood pressure and other health issues, they…
Like Highland Tap & Burger, the happy hour at Angelo’s Taverna has been freshly crowned as a neighborhood sensation. In this densely residential area that condo builders insist on calling Governor’s Park, it’s not hard to see why residents are treating the two-year-old Angelo’s as a default hangout. And by…
“When a distiller gets married, you want to bring some special things,” says Todd Leopold, “because that’s what your family and friends are going to expect.” The wedding he’s referring to was actually his own, and the special thing that he brought was a bitter, scarlet-colored aperitif that he distilled…
Sommelier and world traveler Travis Gee is nearly ready to open Brik on York, his wine bar and restaurant in a former watch repair store, antique furniture shop and movie theater on East Colfax Avenue. The old wood and stucco facade has been removed to reveal the underlying brick that…
Mark Antonation is eating at soul-food restaurants for this month’s Ethniche, and his travels recently took him to Kirk’s Soul Kitchen in Aurora, where the restaurant occupies the former home of a payday loan. And given the setting, Kirk’s serves up some unusual stories along with authentic soul food. Says Joshua:…
Steve Horner, go back to your corner. Eight years ago, members of this city’s bar/restaurant industry felt like they were being held hostage by Steve Horner. The onetime radio personality/self-published author had filed one of the first major claims that ladies’ nights were discriminatory in his home state of Minnesota,…
New Belgium Brewing and Girls Pint Out are teaming up to host a night of beer, food and cocktails, in honor of New Belgium’s latest Lips of Faith Release, Pear Ginger. There will be several beer cocktails featuring the new beer, including the Ginger on the Rye, made with Knob Creek Rye…
Although opening day of Civic Center Eats was rained out on May 5, the twice-weekly food truck rally in Civic Center Park managed to squeeze in a couple of hours of lunch service last Thursday — and the sun even peeked out a little for the rescheduled official kickoff yesterday,…
American Craft Beer Week plows forward over the next few days, and while the designation is hardly needed anymore in Colorado where every week is essentially an American Craft Beer Week, the nationwide festival — which celebrates small and independent brewers — is certainly important in other states. Which is…
Aurora’s Havana Street is awash with some of the most diverse ethnic cuisine in the Denver metro area; the cultural landscape is primed with every kind experience, from fine-ish dining to lovable dives to mom and pop eateries from almost every nationality and culture: Ethiopian, Vietnamese pho, dollar-a-scoop Chinese, Mexican…
The Squeaky Bean is about to get a new executive chef, Chris MacGillivray, who worked at the LoDo Bean under opening chef Max MacKissock; MacGillivray will be back to take over on May 20. Current chef Theo Adley’s last day will be on May 16; he’s given the Bean two…
Angus and John Hicks of Jozi’s Kitchen & Shebeen Brothers Angus and John Hicks grew up in apartheid-era Johannesburg, South Africa, where illegal bars and restaurants called shebeens were a part of the culture. For decades, native Africans had been prohibited from purchasing alcohol in liquor stores and bars, so the…
Maybe things would have been different in Portofino. There, a table at Lo Stella Ristorante would have been al fresco, steps from the harbor, with the sound of water lapping gently at boats. Servers would have spoken Italian, a language I learned so long ago that it’s only music to me…
You’ll be in hog heaven at today’s Swine and Wine pig roast and rosé party at Fuel Café. This patio party will boast a menu featuring roast pig, smoked mussels, deviled eggs and much more. Reservations are $40 and tickets are going fast; you must RSVP by calling 303-2960-4642. If…
Beer and burger specialist the Pint Room got its start in Dublin, Ohio, three years ago offering 101 beers on tap. A second spot with 126 taps opened last year in Carmel, Indiana. And this week, the company will open its third Pint Room in Littleton, in the former home…
Chain Reaction Brewing, which will celebrate its one-year anniversary next month, gave itself an early present last week when it installed a seven-barrel system that it bought from friends at Lone Tree Brewing. The twenty-year-old system has no bells or whistles and has been used by at least three other…
Green Labs is on a roll. Even though recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado, safe havens where people can consume cannabis are few and far between. But Green Labs found a solution: an array of cool, cannabis-themed classes each week, including this Saturday’s Sushi and Joint Rolling course. Yes, you…
In the most recent example of urban infill, a groundbreaking ceremony was held yesterday at 18th and Wazee streets for a new mixed-used development called Z Block, which will add office, hotel and retail space to a stretch that’s now mostly parking lots and office space. The project is a…
I’m Not a Pirate, at Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen It’s no surprise that beer cocktails make up a fair chunk of the drink menu at Euclid Hall, known for its extensive and eclectic beer program. The bar staff collaborates on drink recipes, contributing seasonally inspired combinations of beer and…
First we had Shooters Grill in Rifle arming its waitresses — and getting on the national news. Late last week, KUSA TV reported that Rubbin’ Buttz BBQ in Milliken would be holding a “White Appreciation Day” on June 11 — and once again, the story blew up across the country…
